Breeding success of Hen harrier on a grouse moor in the Peak District National Park

Description

Hen harrier breeding success is rare in England. There is wildlife conflict between hen harriers and red grouse because harriers nest colonialy and feed their chicks on red grouse.
The aim of the project was to ensure a pair of hen harriers nesting on the High Peak Estate successfully fledged their young.

The Grouse shooting tenant (the hunter) had regenerated the moorland back to heather and dwarf shrub from an overgrazed landscape devoid of the typical moorland suit of birds that is correlated with grouse moor management elsewhere. By providing the habitat and indeed an abundance of wildlife through legal predator control by gamekeepers, the harrier chose to nest there. The same hunter then reported the discovery of the nest and remained a key partner in the nest protection procedure including being present when the chicks were ringed. Grouse moor gamekeepers and their employees in the whole of the Peak District were alerted to the successful nesting and hatching of five chicks and asked to ensure no action by them could lead to the nest failing in anyway.

Results

The nest was successfully kept a secret from the general public despite other nests in the country receiving huge publicity and visitors which can jeopardise success as the birds hate disturbance.The pair of harriers raised and fledged five chicks.Over a quarter of those fledged in England in 2014.Trust and collaboration between conservation workers, the land owner and hunters was trialled and deemed to be a resounding success. The protocol worked well to build this trust.